18 West Virginia Teachers Receive Arch Coal Golden Apple Award

CHARLESTON, W.Va., March 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Eighteen West Virginia classroom teachers have been named recipients of the Arch Coal Foundation Golden Apple award, according to John Snider, Arch Coal, Inc. vice president for external affairs, eastern region.

"These 18 teachers are among West Virginia's most talented and professional educators," said Snider. "They ranked very well in the judging for the foundation's highest award, the Teacher Achievement Award. All were within just a couple of percentage points – and some less than a single percentage point – from receiving the achievement award."

Teachers are nominated by the public. The program's judges are past recipients of the Teacher Achievement Award. The Arch Coal Foundation announced its Teacher Achievement Award recipients, made to 12 outstanding West Virginia classroom teachers, earlier this month.

"We encourage these Golden Apple recipients to apply again next year," Snider said.

The 2010 Golden Apple recipients are:

    
    
    Maxine Arbogast            Morgantown High School           Morgantown
    Laura Beth Atkins          Little Birch Elementary          Little Birch
    Tabatha Beall              Gilmer County High School        Glenville
    Loren F. Berry             Madison Middle School            Madison
    Carrie Browning            Omar Elementary                  Omar
    Debra L. Conover           East Fairmont Junior High        Fairmont
    Mary Beth Cook             Summersville Middle              Summersville
    James L. Dennis            Parkersburg South High School    Parkersburg
    Terry J. Hickle            Parkersburg High School          Parkersburg
    Kenneth Eugene Johnson     Webster County High School       Upperglade
    Pamela Kay Kessler         Fellowsville Elementary          Tunnelton
    Sandra Laird               Emerson Elementary               Parkersburg
    Alisa F. Lemley            Buckhannon-Upshur High School    Buckhannon
    Gwyn Michelle Linger       Buckhannon Academy Elementary    Buckhannon
    Lynn M. Schwallie          Scott Teays Elementary           Scott Depot
    Rebecca H. Severino        Beverly Elementary School        Beverly
    Anne Smith                 Green Bank Elementary/Middle     Green Bank
    Frances L. Tolley          Hurricane High School            Hurricane
    
    
    

The teacher recognition awards are underwritten by the Arch Coal Foundation and supported in program-promotion by the West Virginia Department of Education, the WVEA and the West Virginia Library Commission. The Arch Coal Teacher Achievement Awards is the longest running, privately sponsored teacher-recognition program in the state.

The Arch Coal Foundation also supports teacher-recognition or grant programs in Wyoming, Utah and Colorado, as well as a number of other education-related causes.

Arch Coal is the nation's second largest coal producer. Through its national network of mines, Arch supplies the fuel for approximately 8 percent of the electricity generated in the United States. In West Virginia, Arch Coal subsidiaries operate the Mountain Laurel and Coal-Mac complexes. The company is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: ACI) and maintains its corporate headquarters in St. Louis, Mo.

SOURCE Arch Coal, Inc.